They put us in the Army and they handed us a pack
They took away our nice new clothes and dolled us up in khack!
They marched us twenty miles a day to fit us for the war
We didn't mind the first nineteen, but the last one made us sore!

---From "The Last Mile"

ASSEMBLING CHASSIS

TOO many early arrivals at the Allentown Fairgrounds, the officers
running the training camp, established there in the spring of
1917, seemed to be obsessed with the necessity of going on a hike.
When we look back on the congestion in the camp in those first
few months we can easily understand the philosophy behind the
hike. The men were pouring in in such numbers that if a battalion
were not taken out on a hike, utter chaos would have developed.
These familiar names stand out --- Saylorsburg. Kern's Mill, Wernersville,
Gettysburg, Betzwood, Valley Forge, Slatington, Bath, Weaversville,
Lehighton, Catasauqua, Delaware Water Gap, Emmaus, Tobyhanna.
There are few towns or hamlets around the great city of Allentown
that failed to see these rifleless soldiers stirring up the dust
or wading through the mud in the years 1917 and 1918.

Speaking of remembering, it seems correct to quote the one
man who had more to do with keeping the soldier at the Fairgrounds
out of trouble than any officer, the Rev. William E. Brooks.

"Ours was a little camp. Before the great-days came it
had been a Fairgrounds devoted for a week of each year to horse
races and prize pigs, and the rest of the year to silence. Then
in the summer of '17 the buildings had been cleared of booths
and the cattle sheds painted and fumigated, and boys from all
over the land filled them, lured by the certain assurance of
the wise ones in Washington that in six weeks they would be driving
ambulances in France. They did not get there in six weeks, but
they did get there finally and mighty tales of great adventure
are told of them and hundreds of decorations prove the worth
of the tales. Through that long, hot summer they had drilled
here until every blade of grass was worn away by their feet,
and thousands of other feet that followed them in '18. Even the
fence surrounding the oval race track had been removed to make
more room for drilling and dismantling and assembling automobile
chassis. Near the main gate there was a grove of trees. Here
under these trees stood tents of the medical staff where they
shot us full of vaccines and viruses and made us sore physically
and mentally, particularly mentally. There were the horse-stalls
and the oft told tale about the rookie that wandered in late
one night still in "cits," with his new issue blankets
and folding cot under his arm. "Where am I?" he asked
of a group around a candle. And they paused in their game long
enough to answer, they got the startling reply. "Then I'm
in the wrong place, I was ordered to the pig-pens."

CALM BEFORE THE STORM

GETTING SHOT

"Here was the big mess hall under the grandstand, where
we first formed that acquaintance which ripened into intimate
fellowship, with "tinned Willy" and beans. And over
yonder the big recreation hall crowded o'nights, when boxing
bouts were held. No one can ever forget that last big night before
the Italian Contingent sailed and two thousand howled themselves
hoarse about the padded ring in the center. The ground within
the track was the parade, and leaning over the outside fence,
we saw the clouds of dust and the lines swinging by as the old
CO. reviewed them for the last time. He was a bully old CO.,
with a lot of plain American common sense, and he knew the value
of using it as he turned these American boys into fighting men.

"And then there was that time when they would sound retreat
and we would stand near the big flagstaff beside headquarters.
This was always the most solemn hour in the camp day, that hour
when the slow bugle blew, and the colors began to fall. There
was a song the band played as the bunting fluttered down, while
everywhere over the camp, men stopped as they were, faced toward
headquarters and stood at attention. The K.P.'s peeling potatoes
at the doors of the mess hall, the prisoners digging ditches
or working on the coal pile, the guards walking their posts,
the officers with their ladies over under the trees, every man
of the camp, buck private, shave-tail and big chaps with eagles
on their shoulders, stood stiff and steady during those proud
imperious moments. Even the Q.M.'s forgot their lordly grandeur,
and ceased scorning the humble crew on whom they had just thrust
blouses that did not fit, as they listened to that call. It was
a moment when one remembered why he was there, why men were dying
on the other side of the world, and ideas like liberty and freedom
and right possessed our souls. And as the band crashed out the
final chords, their echoes rang through our hearts with a high
resolve that ----

The Star Spangled Banner in triumph shall wave,
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

"That scene, night after night repeated, helped to keep
the men steady through those long slow days of training, through
the monotony of drills, through the horrors of the hours when
we learned to use gas-masks, through the cold and heat, the dust
and mud, the snow and rain, and sent every man, with strong heart,
ready for action overseas."

GRANDSTAND MESS HALL

PASADENA CAME IN STYLE

So much went on at the Fairgrounds in the early stages, it
is hard to select the high spots. From the very beginning when
the clean-up crews came through the gates on May 17, 1917, until
the final closing of Camp Crane on April 10, 1919, the swirl of
men coming and going is a hard story to keep up with. One man
tried, and we are indebted to him for the following chronological
review. Some important dates are missing, such as when and by
whom did the Fairgrounds take on the name of Camp Crane. Further
in our story the source of that name will be told; right now let's
listen to Richard Short's "Soldiers All."

May 24, 1917---

Officers of the Lehigh County Agricultural Society signed
a lease with the government for establishing at the Fair Grounds
a training camp for the U. S. A. A. Corps. Col. E. E. Persons,
U. S. Medical Corps, was named commander of the camp.

May 28 ---

A telegram was received by the Chamber of Commerce stating
that the Secretary of War had approved the rental of the Fair
Grounds for a year as a camp site at a cost of $37,000 with $7,500
additional for alterations.

June 7---

Fifty more recruits arrived at the Fair Grounds. A number
were put at work assembling ambulance chassis and bodies. Headquarters
offices were opened in the grandstand.

June 9 ---

Announcement was made that General Pershing and his staff
had arrived in London. An ambulance corps unit recruited at Washington,
D.C., arrived and almost swamped the American Hotel when they
all entered the dining room at once. The population at the Fair
Grounds camp now numbers 1300 with arrivals daily.

June 10 ---

An ambulance unit from Bucknell arrived at the Fair Grounds.
Other units arriving today included 72 men from University of
South Carolina. They were assigned to a place in poultry house
No. 1.

The cement sheds for cattle at the Fair Grounds were fitted
up with 100 showers for the soldiers. Large details were busy
digging trenches for latrines.

On Sunday, June 10, a chicken dinner was served to 1248 men
in seven minutes. Religious services were held in the afternoon
with Rev. W. E. Brooks in charge. The address was delivered by
Hon. F. M. Trexler of Allentown.

The upper tiers of seats in the grand stand were being removed
to make room for sleeping quarters.

June 12 ---

Lt. Col. E. E. Persons arrived and assumed command of the
camp.

Ambulance men numbering twenty-seven arrived from Amherst
College today.

Chamber of Commerce officers were looking for quarters for
wives of officers on duty at the Fairgrounds camp.

Arrivals at the camp numbered 1,800 and daily drills were
being scheduled.

June 19 ---

The Pasadena, Calif. unit arrived. There were 126 young men
in the contingent. They reported ovations at all stations enroute.

The unit being organized in Allentown for duty with the Ambulance
Corps reported twenty-eight men enlisted.

A schedule for daily drills was put in effect.

Dictionaries of French and English words were being distributed.
Quartermaster officials at the camp said they were looking forward
to the arrival of shipments of 1500 pairs of shoes from Boston;
a carload of coats from Chicago and 1,000 blankets from Philadelphia.

Local barber shops reported a rush of business.

June 21 ---

Units from Spokane and New York arrived. The latter unit was
from Columbia University.

A fire in the kitchen at the local camp caused a lot of excitement.
Very little damage resulted.

The men of the St. John's Lutheran Church discussed plans
for holding a social in the near future for the members of the
Lutheran Church among the soldiers.

June 22 ---

Units from University of California and Yale arrived at the
local camp.

Two new units arrived in camp today, one from Brown University,
and the other from Chicago.

There was some disappointment at the camp because some of
the units which numbered upwards of fifty men, were being split
into units of thirty-six men to conform to the French Army standards.
Men left over were placed in a casual group and they objected
to being separated from their comrades.

Social diversions were being organized. Already there were
more than half a dozen pianos among the units.

June 26 ---

A committee of the Chamber of Commerce was arranging to have
local bands give concerts at various times at the Fairgrounds
for entertainment of the men.

One hundred and twenty recruits arrived at the Fairgrounds,
bringing the total present in camp to 3,333. It was stated that
by the end of the week all recruits would be supplied with uniforms.

One of the units at the camp attracted a lot of attention
on the streets as they hauled a piano, secured down town, to
the camp on an army truck, with one of the men tickling the ivories
on the way up Hamilton Street.

Among the Y.M.C.A. workers at the camp was Henry Colgate,
son of the perfume manufacturer. He had charge of entertainment.

June 27 ---

Entertainment of the men at the camp by local organizations
and citizens was becoming a rapidly growing custom. The Men's
Club of Salem Church sponsored a "military night."
Members of various fraternities represented among the men at
the camp were arranging get acquainted banquets.

A motion picture machine was installed at the camp and shows
were given nightly in front of the grandstand. An instructor
arrived at the camp to take charge of group singing which helped
to while away the evening hours.

June 28---

Washington, D.C., announced the arrival in France of the first
detachment of the U.S. troops.

Col. H. P. Birmingham, second in command of the Surgeon -General's
office at Washington, arrived in the city to make an inspection
of the camp at the Fairgrounds.

During the heavy thunder shower at the camp, the cesspools
under the grand stand overflowed into the mess halls and the
soldier boys had a busy time battling with the flood.

Today was the third anniversary of the assassination of Arch
Duke Ferdinand at Sarajevo, which led to the World War.

July 7 ---

To harden the men for field service, three battalions of the
rank were ordered to hike to Tobyhanna.

Units from Yale and the Univ. of Texas arrived at camp. The
members of the Allentown camp were given their second inoculation
of typhoid prophylaxis.

A junior military dance was held at the newly opened College
Hotel, sponsored by the mother of one of the soldiers and attended
by. a number of the city's prominent debutantes.

A baseball team was organized at camp. College stars were
numbered among the recruits.

Collegiate stars among the men at the Fairgrounds camp participated
in a track meet July 4th.

In order to enlarge the drill grounds the fence between the
race track and the track enclosure was removed. Two new barracks
buildings were under construction.

It is getting to be a common sight to see local citizens call
at the camp with their autos, load up a number of soldiers and
take them away for some entertainment,

The Epworth League of the Linden St. M. E. Church entertained
one hundred and fifty young men from the ambulance camp.

The population of the ambulance camp reached a total of 4,500.
The latest arrivals were two units from Detroit

Mayor Reichenbach issued a call for a public meeting in Zion's
Reformed Church for the purpose of organizing a "Big Brother"
movement to take care of the men at the camp.

July 9---

A unit of ten men from the camp was placed on provost duty
at Central Park to preserve order among the soldiers at the park
during the evenings.

A number of tennis stars from the camp participated in a tournament
at the grounds of the Allentown Tennis Club.

Three battalions from the ambulance camp left this morning
on a hike to Tobyhanna. The men were equipped in heavy marching
order and were to sleep in their pup tents. The hikes were planned
as part of the program to harden the men for field service. The
first day's march was to take them to Saylorsburg.

July 10---

It was announced that the strength of the ambulance units
was to be increased from 36 to 45.

The officers at the camp enjoyed trout for their Sunday dinner
with the compliments of General Trexler.

More than 400 cakes of various sorts were contributed for
the Sunday dinner for the men by the ladies of the city.

Battalions of the men were to be seen hiking along the roads
about the city daily as part of the hardening process.

Brides were turning up almost daily at the camp and numerous
weddings were taking place.

The post exchange at the ambulance camp reported sales of
$400 worth of candy daily and an equal amount of cigarettes and
other tobaccos. A cafeteria had also been added to the exchange.

July 11---

A group of 125 men from the camp were invited to attend a
dance at the country club as guests of the members.

Plans were under way for the celebration of Bastille Day,
July 14th.

The payroll at the camp was estimated to be $155,000 per month.
Yesterday was pay day and the men stood in line for hours in
a heavy rain.

The details from camp off on hikes were considerably hampered
by the muddy roads caused by the heavy rains. They made twenty
and a half miles the first day and stopped for further orders.

Various individuals and groups applied to have units assigned
to them in the "Big Brother" movement.

July 12 ---

There was mud galore at the camp the last two days.

A large vocal chorus was being organized among the soldiers.
Rehearsals of the French national anthem to be rendered Bastille
Day were under way.

July 13---

The appointment of Col. J. R. Kean to succeed Col. Persons
at the camp was announced.

Thirty-six colleges and universities were represented in the
116 units thus far organized at the camp.

July 14---

The report of the previous week to the effect that Col. Persons
was to be succeeded in command of the ambulance camp proved groundless.

Col. Persons and Major Franklin of the camp were guests of
the Rotary Club at a meeting held at the Elks.

Bastille Day was celebrated at the camp with a program of
sports, speeches, music, etc.

A number of USAACs were made guests of picnickers at Dorney
Park when they went there to take a swim.

July 17 ---

A Unit from the University of Chicago arrived at camp.

July 18 ---

Scores of parties and entertainments were being held nightly,
when men from the camp were guests.

July 19---

Major General Wm. C. Gorgas, Surgeon General of the U.S. Army
arrived in the city to make an inspection of the camp.

The Arion singing society of the city gave a concert in front
of the grandstand for the USAACs.

Members of Phi Gamma Delta fraternity at the camp were entertained
at the local chapter house, 731 Turner St., by Dr. Fred R. Bausen.
Lawrence H. Ruff gave a talk on "The Young Soldier of France."

And here we must assume that Short went overseas --- so we
conclude these personals and chronological notes with some items
from the pages of the local Allentown newspapers.

July 30, 1917, Section 546 was entertained on the roof
of the Perkin Apts. on Sixth St. last evening by their Big Brothers,
Perkin and Rapaport. Dancing and other forms of amusement were
enjoyed by the boys.

Thirty-five men of Section 584, Susquehanna Univ. were entertained
by H. A., C. W. and J. Frank Grammes at Dorney Park. The men
enjoyed a swim and other amusements, the day being topped off
with an excellent luncheon.

As a memento of the occasion, each man received a watch fob
made in the Grammes plant. The fobs were coined of Nevada gold
with the Ambulance Corps emblem on one side.

July 31, 1917, the Auditorium of the Allentown High
School was completely filled last evening for the excellent vaudeville
show, presented by the Usaacs.

Sergt. Wood of the Provost Guard and his men did the ushering.
The affair was sponsored by the "Woman's Club."

Section 587, Oberlin College, furnished a double quartet,
Victor Egbert of Penn State excelled as a chalk artist, Cornell
and Darlance did some clever clog dancing and Roy Westeman of
Battle Creek, Mich. did an exhibition of baton swinging. The
Jazz Band of the California contingent was a feature.

August 13, 1917, Lieut. Col. Elbert E. Persons, commander
of the U.S. Army Ambulance Corps, has been promoted to a Colonel.

The new Corps, which has been formed thru a new ruling, is
sending all lieutenants in active medical work into the field.

This transfer will leave the command of sections to other
officers and the Colonel has sent to Washington the names of
top sergeants in command of sections to be advanced to lieutenants.

GOSH WHY DID I MAJOR IN ANTHROPOLOGY?

August 15, 1917, Section 575 was entertained at the
Hotel Windsor, in Center Valley, by Messrs. W. D. Fitzgerald,
Joseph F. Gorman and E. C. Spring. They provided a bounteous
chicken and waffle dinner. As Sergeant Wood expressed his gratitude
on behalf of the Section, he said, 'Rest assured when they get
to France they will never forget the hospitality shown by the
people of Allentown and it will give them much to look back upon."

The affair was given as a farewell to the boys who expect
to leave for France at any moment.

The evening ended up at Central Park where the men enjoyed
the amusements and danced to a good orchestra.

August 17, 1917, the announcement that in the neighborhood
of two hundred second lieutenants would be chosen out of the
ranks in a short time, has caused a stir among the men and there
will be many applicants for the jobs.

The examinations will be held as soon as the application blanks
have been received and distributed. The examinations will consist
only of military technique. (Ed. Umph!)

Nearly all of the units are arranging for funds which they
will carry with them to France and on which they can draw in
time of need. Others will have private accounts. It is said the
Pasadena Units have a fund of $25,000. (Ed. --- Fortunately Cochran
of Section 565 did not win all of this before the contingent
left for Italy.)

Col. Persons yesterday gave orders that all ambulance drivers
must respect local traffic regulations.

While there has been little trouble on this score, there have
been several instances where drivers either thru a misunderstanding
of the traffic regulations here, or thru the belief that they
had the right of way over civilians, have had arguments with
local police. (Ed.-Could be.)

August 18, 1917, the Usaac Band of thirty-eight men
will give its first concert in the grove at the Fairgrounds,
3:15 o'clock tomorrow afternoon. Under the direction of Harold
Wegmilk of the Univ. of Indiana Unit, the band has been whipped
into shape in very short order, and the soldiers are very proud
of their organization. Mr. Wegmiller was leader of the Second
Indiana Infantry Band on the Mexican border.

The four Pasadena Units presented their commander, Captain
Lockwood, with a fine 1918 passenger touring car. The machine
is to be used by both Captain Lockwood and Col. Persons.

Every man in camp is to be examined for mental and nervous
disorders and work on the examination will begin at once.

August 19, 1917, a number of men of Section 614. Univ.
of California and Section 544, a Boston Unit, were entertained
last evening at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Robert W. Kurtz, No.
29 S. 10th St. The evening was spent in music and contests. (Ed---Contests---Could
it mean African Golf?) The music was an octet of the California
men who were formerly members of the Univ. of Calif. Glee Club
and a Jazz Band.

A violin solo was given by Private Garland. The winners of
the contests were Sergt. Wells and Private Crall.

August 25, 1917, word was received at the camp that
the first contingent of the Ambulance Corps has arrived safely
in France and is ready for duty. The information came by cable
from Col. Percy L. Jones, the commander of the contingent. The
news was received with enthusiasm by the boys in Camp, especially
so when it was learned that not one of the members of the group
was even sick on the voyage across.

August 27, 1917, Johnny Schiff the California featherweight
arrived in camp on Tuesday with the Univ. of Chicago Unit and
is quartered in the Fairgrounds. Schiff is one of the best known
boxers in the country. Among those he has met are Johnny O'Leary,
the Canadian lightweight champion, Johnny Kilbane, Johnny Dundee,
Ted Kid Leis, Preston Brown and Irish Patsy Cline.

September 8, 1917 --- Training Usaacs seen in movies
An exhibition of more than passing interest took place Thursday
afternoon at the Pergola when the first showing of films of the
Ambulance Service were given.

Well, the name given to the Fairgrounds was a most interesting
selection even if we cannot find out who chose it. The name, Charles
Henry Crane, was not one which came down in our history books
of the Civil War era. Research in the Medical Library in Bethesda,
Maryland, revealed in a medical bulletin the following:

"Charles H. Crane, born July 19, 1825, in Newport, R.I.,
the son of Captain (later Colonel) Ichabod Crane of the Artillery
Corps. His childhood was spent in army posts until he was sent
to the Maple Grove Academy in Middletown, Conn., to prepare for
entrance to Yale where he later received the degree of B.A. in
1844.

"In 1847 he had completed his medical course at Harvard
and was given the degree of M.D., at the same time receiving
the degree of MA from Yale. His heart for a long time set upon
a military career, he lost no time in presenting himself before
an army examining board and in November 1847 he was appointed
an acting surgeon. Filling many posts in the country, he became
medical director of the Department of Key West in February 1862,
and Director of the South in June of that year. In 1863 he was
ordered to Washington for duty in connection with the prisoners
of war. In September, when Colonel Barnes was made acting Surgeon-General,
Crane was appointed executive officer. From that time, for eighteen
years until he became Surgeon-General himself in 1882, he was
the wheel-horse of the office to whom duties of all kinds and
in all amounts could confidentially be given. Crane was of the
greatest assistance to Surgeon-General Barnes, relieving him
of the routine of the office and giving him the opportunity to
exercise the tact and diplomacy of which he was master and of
which there was so much need in dealings with Secretary Stanton,
Congress and the Sanitary Commission. . . On January 1, 1865,
Crane was given brevets of lieutenant colonel and later colonel.
On March 13, the brevet of brigadier general "for faithful
and meritorious service during the War of the Rebellion."

"With the retirement of General Barnes in 1882, General
Crane was appointed Surgeon-General on July 3, 1882. He died
suddenly on October 10, 1883."

The contributions made by Crane, while in the office of Assistant
to Acting Surgeon General Barnes, were important factors in the
degree of discipline and efficiency displayed by the Medical Department
in later years. A more worthy name could not have been selected
for our camp.

Although there are many dates which time has erased from our
memories, or which have succeeded in hiding from this researcher,
--- one big moment must be recalled in regard to the USAAC Band.
Here we quote from a letter, the author of which might want to
remain anonymous:

"Now you ask me about the famous Camp Crane Band . .
. I do remember when John Philip Sousa came to Camp Crane, or
did he? I seem to recollect that when we played under him it
was in Atlantic City. What were we doing in Atlantic City? (Members
of the band doubled in the orchestra for the USAAC shows.)

USAAC MARCH

'Good Bye Bill" was there. I do not recall that John
Philip Sousa found our playing so meritorious, although he probably
was considerate enough to tell us so."

This partial quotation from a letter written by a member of
the band brings out points which are confirmed by stories told
by the then Major C. P. Franklin, Chief Executive Officer at the
camp, who was responsible for inviting Sousa to visit the camp
and help with the training of the hand. Later, it is possible
that Mr. Sousa heard the music written for the show "Good
Bye Bill," as records now show that he composed, at the request
of Lt. Col. Franklin, the "USAAC March." A copy of the
original manuscript is now owned by the USAAS Association.

"Mr. Sousa was not the only famous bandmaster to visit
Camp Crane," as the letter referred to above states, so
we continue to quote: "Ed. Mellon did direct the orchestra-band
from time to time, and without detracting from him, I feel impelled
to also mention Sergeant Otto, who went through a lot of misery
with us lousy musicians. Ed Mellon, also known as 'Gunga Din'
as well as 'Musk,' was first trumpet, and since he was a professional
musician, commanded' the respect of us hams. When we were on
parade we were led by Sergeant Jack Crow, who was the originator
of the fancy pants, and he did a top job. I mention the pants
because Crow had a pair tighter than had ever been seen before,
and as their Drum Major, broke any ice there might have been
in just criticism of what must have been at times, pretty sour
music. Anyway when we paraded we were convinced we were tops...While
still in camp we also played under Victor Herbert, of course
as an orchestra. This had its laughable side, and without mentioning
names, one of the second fiddle players was a complete ringer
--- just a swell guy you always wanted around --- but who had
nearly no idea of what made a fiddle squeak. So when V. Herbert
rehearsed us, he discerned a certain something not just right
in the second fiddle section. With that he asked each one of
the second fiddlers to play part of the score all alone. When
he came to our friend; he circled his forefinger overhead and
brought it down aimed at that guy, saying. "There it is!"
He asked him in very gentle terms if he would refrain from playing
his fiddle . . . to just sit there.

"I enjoyed the band detail, in that I played the piccolo
which is so small that I could carry it in my breast pocket.
It was my constant companion, because getting out and into the
front gate I always had my pass with me. Challenged by the guard
I showed my piccolo, permitting me to spill out Band Detail."

The Big Brother Movement was one of the most interesting things
of the camp's existence.

This was the part the local citizens were to take in making
the boys of the camp feel at home and also to have the local people
feel responsible for the entertainment of their unit and, incidentally,
maintain a fatherly interest in them.

Parents of boys had a local contact through this and the boys
had homes that they could feel free to visit. It proved a very
interesting move. Many of the boys were entertained frequently
in the homes and some lasting friendships were formed.

On the evening of July 10 at the call of Mayor Alfred L. Reichenbach,
a citizens' meeting was held in Zion Reformed Church when the
plan of the brotherhood idea was explained by Attorney Reuben
J. Butz, then president of the Chamber of Commerce. It was decided
that the families should select a unit. There were 120 units of
48 men each.

After Mr. Butz's address the mayor read the list of units and
while some selected their units because of former ties, others
were willing to take the units assigned to them and in a short
time they all were assigned. Col. E.E. Persons was then called
upon and expressed his sincere thanks saying: "You are indicating
to us that our cause is your cause."

The following were the college units and their Big Brothers
assigned June 10 by Mayor Reichenbach

Entertainment activities were important factors in maintaining
the morale of these thousands of volunteers anxious to be about
the business of war. While this was not all social ---but of course
dancing and girls are a necessary adjunct to the welfare of an
army camp and especially Camp Crane----Chairman Franklin of the
Officer Athletic and Entertainment Committee saw to it that the
wealth of college material in camp was used. The United States
Lawn Tennis Association had recruited two ambulance units, which
had among their members promising young tennis players who gave
exhibition matches. July 4, 1917, saw the first intra-sectional
track meet, which really turned into an Inter-collegiate meet
rivaling the Penn Relay Carnival. Michigan won the meet with 22
points. Penn State 21, Fordham and Hamline University 15 each,
Brown 9, Illinois 8, Yale 4, Bucknell, Williams, Penn, 3 each,
Columbia 2, Cornell, Virginia, Temple, Oberlin, and Stanford 1
point each. The individual star was George Kline of Hamline, winning
three events.

We will leave sports for the moment just to tell that all the
prowess in the ranks of the USAAS was not on the playing field.
Men from the Pasadena contingent teamed up with some local talent
and produced the famous play, "Seven Keys to Baldpate."
It was presented on the night of November 7, 1917, at the Lyric
Theatre in Allentown and repeated ten days later at the Rajah
Theatre in Reading, Pa. The Oberlin College octette, of which
we will hear more in another chapter, won the applause of the
men at the camp as well as the townsfolks at several appearances
outside the camp grounds.

Of course we cannot hope to cover every detail in this history
of the wonderful record of the teams from Camp Crane on the diamond
and the gridiron, but it is only fair to share with the world
at this time some of the accomplishments of the athletes. There
were plenty of prizefighters in camp and the brave nonprofessional
boys that got into the ring learned a lot about boxing to the
amusement of the soldier audience. The Basketball Team records
seem to have been lost, but at the end of the scheduled season,
the team was presented by their coach, Mr. Cleavitt, to Colonel
Persons at Headquarters, as "the Championship Basketball
Team of the United States." The Colonel spoke, "I want
to extend my personal thanks and the thanks of the Camp for the
faithful training and hard work you have done and for the splendid
entertainment you have given us all. I want to shake hands with
each one of you." There was a stunned silence as each of
the men in turn gripped the hand of the colonel. The Captain in
charge of Athletics called us to attention again and barked, "Dismissed"
1f If this statement seems unusually innocuous, it is made understandable
when Ike Haaven, Curley Cramer, Red Phillips, and other members
of the team explain that they had been out on a "bender"
following the last game in Cape May, N.J., and had learned that
the colonel had received complaints from the manager of the quarters
where they had spent the night. The colonel, in reply to the complaint,
had assured the writer that he would see to it that his men did
not stay there anymore!

USAAS BASEBALL TEAM

The Baseball Team had a good record, winning the majority of
their games. The lineup for most games read as follows:

Gay
Davidson
McGuire
Rowe
Dunn
Hall
Mannhart
Ryan
Thompson

RF
3dB
SS
CF
1B
C
2dB
LF
P

Sub --- Day, Yan, Dillon, Out F; Brown P.

We will conclude our sports extra-curricular activities at
Camp Crane with some information about the USAAC Football Team.

A call was made for candidates for the football squad on Wednesday,
September 26, 1917, just three days before the first game with
Penn State College, which was to be played on the Muhlenberg College
Field at Allentown, Pa.

This was to be the USAAC Home Field. Coach Price of Muhlenberg
agreed to coach the Usaacs, which he did for the first three games.
He resigned after the 7th Infantry Officers game at Harrisburg,
because he found it interfered with his contract at Muhlenberg,
and it was certainly too tough to coach both a college team and
an army team and do a good job. Lt. Dud Clarke of the University
of Oregon then took over the job as player-coach.

Over 120 candidates reported for that first practice, and in
less than four days the squad was cut to 45 players. They represented
over 40 Colleges and Universities and included some of the best
football talent in the United States.

The squad boasted of at least 15 All-American players from
the years 1914, 1915 and 1916.

A schedule of 10 games was made up and even a Play-off game
for the Servicemen's Championship of the U.S.A. was supposed to
be played against the Newport Reserve Team, coached by "Cupid"
Black. This game set for December 15, 1917. in Philadelphia, never
took place as most of the USAAC team were called back to their
outfits after the Thanksgiving Game with Georgetown University.
One sports writer is quoted as follows:

The USAACs? Who are they? Whence come they? What reason for
the sudden wealth of attention that they are receiving from the
sports writers up and down the football world?

If these were normal times; if one William H. Hohenzollern,
hadn't tried the patience of Uncle Sam just a bit too much, there
would be no such bombardment of questions, for the United States
Army Ambulance Service eleven would not be in existence, and Eddie
Mahan's Marines, of Philadelphia, would lie beyond the imagination.
Also, incidentally, the Quaker City would miss an opportunity
to witness one of the greatest football classics in the history
of the gridiron.

If ever a team was justly entitled to the name "ALL-AMERICAN,"
the Usaac eleven is that team. The squad includes sons of Michigan
and Maryland, of Minnesota and Ohio, of Kentucky and Pennsylvania,
of Indiana and New York, of California, Washington and Oregon.

MIKE MURPHY ON END RUN

Charles Thorne "Mike" Murphy, of Yale, son of the
great Penn trainer, and last year captain of the Freshman eleven
at New Haven; Hugo Francke, of the 1914 Harvard Varsity; Irvin,
of Franklin and Marshall, one of the most powerful halfbacks that
that institution ever produced; "Hira Hall," the crack
end of the University of California; "Pike" Johnson,
last year's all-Southern tackle, and his classmate, from below
the Mason and Dixon line, Lindsey Moore, who holds the honor of
being the greatest guard that Washington and Lee possessed in
its entire gridiron history; "Tuffie" Conn, who pushed
Ted Meredith into a world's record to beat him in the quarter-mile,
and who at present holds the title for having made the longest
run for a touchdown in the last decade, a 118-yard dash through
the entire Oregon eleven; "Pud" Brewer, one of the speediest
men in moleskins, hailing from the Maryland Aggies: Beck, of Penn
State, who drew commendation from Walter Camp last year; 'Vic"
Emanuel. Gettysburg College's All Time Great, and ALL STATE END;
Wick, of the University of Washington, last year's All-Western
center; "Jack" Dunn, "Hurry-Up" Yost's remarkable
Michigan quarterback; Caughey, the Leland Stanford backfield dynamo,
who, incidentally, holds the collegiate record for the shot put
and is Pacific Coast weight champion; Hurm, the Ohio State backfield
genius; "Curley" Cramer, likewise known as the "Minnesota
Cyclone," who hails from Hamline University, at St. Paul,
and hits a line like a 310 mm. shell ... There is not a single
man on the Ambulance first team who has not made his mark as an
athlete already.

At this critical time along came "Dud" Clarke. Clarke
was assistant to Bezdik last year, coaching the eleven that the
redoubtable Dobie refused to engage. He had coached half a dozen
college and professional teams ever since the days when he held
all-western halfback honors himself at the University of Oregon.
He possessed that versatile mind and analytical power which mark
a great director of football teams and he was playing tackle on
the Usaac eleven when it visited Harrisburg and overwhelmed the
Officers of the Seventh Regiment, stationed at Gettysburg, by
the score of 45 to 0. That game witnessed the unique spectacle
of a commissioned officer playing with an entire squad of enlisted
men about him. For Clarke received his commission on the very
eve of the conflict. The following week he assumed charge of the
team. With sure vision and pitiless determination the new coach
set to work to revamp the Ambulance team. The soldiers began to
spend three hours a day on the practice field. After a bitter
scrimmage Clarke would order them to run a half mile round the
track before they could quit their togs.

Then the marines visited Allentown, great with the prestige
of one of the most luminous stars in the gridiron zenith, one
Edward Mahan of Harvard. This was on Oct. 27, 1917, which the
Usaacs won 27 to 0. Now whether Eddie Mahan, who so dazzled Old
Eli Yale that that gentleman is yet rubbing his eyes, whether
Eddie Mahan of Harvard has been able to instill into the marines
from Philadelphia the power and pep necessary to defeat the Usaacs,
is the question that has all the sporting world by the ears, and
has brought to Philadelphia one of the real battles of the gridiron
this year. If he does, he will have sustained his reputation as
the greatest marshal of victory that football ever knew. If you
ask Coach Clarke about it he merely looks at you, snaps his jaw,
and says nothing. The time to talk about victory is after it is
won. That, in substance, is the motto of the Usaac eleven, and
that is the rule enforced by "DUD" Clarke. The Usaacs
won this game on Nov. 10, 1917 at Franklin Field. Usaacs 16 ---
Marines 0.

USAACS 1917 FOOTBALL RECORD

USAAC

Opponents

Place

1917 Date

1.

0

Penn State C.

10

Allentown

Sept. 29

2.

7

Fordham U.

19

Allentown

Oct. 6

3.

45

Officers 7th Inf. Gettysburg, Pa.

0

Harrisburg

Oct. 13

4.

12

Conshohocken A.C. (Pa.)

7

Norristown

Oct. 20

5.

27

Marine Corp.. League Is. Navy Yd.

0

Allentown

Oct. 27

6.

11

Ewing Ath. Club Philadelphia, Pa

0

Allentown

Nov. 3

7.

16

Marine Corp.. League Is. Navy Yd.

0

Franklin F'ld

Nov. 10

8.

62

Springfield Col. Springfield, Mass.

0

Allentown

Nov. 17

9.

20

Camp Meade Officers Team

14

Reading

Nov. 24

10.

0

Georgetown U. Washington, D.C.

27

Washington

Nov. 29 Thanksgiving

230

Total Points

77

Won 7, Lost 3

We can only take space here to report on two of the games on
the schedule. The second game with the Marines was played on Franklin
Field in Philadelphia, and replaced the regular Army-Navy game
of that year. It was a great game---hard fought against Eddie
Mahan, the famous Harvard All-American and his strong Marine eleven.
"Mike" Murphy, USAAC quarterback, kicked three field
goals and Ben Cubbage scored a touchdown on a pass, with Murphy
kicking a goal after touchdown. Curley Cramer rushed through the
Marine line time after time, and the only thing that kept him
from scoring some touchdowns was that Murphy elected to kick field
goals. The starting line-up was the same as for most games:

A contingent of some 3000 men were brought to the game from
Camp Crane. Gave demonstrations at Independence Square, ate lunch
from mobile kitchens on Broad Street and marched to Franklin Field.

The other game we should talk about ended in defeat for the
USAACs but was a most important occasion for the 800 men who accompanied
the team to Washington. This was the Thanksgiving Day game with
Georgetown University. It had snowed the night before the game
and the sidelines at old Griffith Stadium were piled high and
at game time the field was wet and muddy, especially where the
baseball diamond made up part of the gridiron. An over confident
USAAC team was over-powered by the running of Georgetown's Gilroy
and field goal kicking of Captain Maloney, and went down to a
27 to 0 defeat.

The contingent of rooters from Camp Crane did themselves proud
in a review before President Woodrow Wilson on the morning of
the game. (The President was unable to show.)

GUTH STATION

Lost we forgot that Camp Crane was a training ground for a
new organization of ambulance drivers and mechanics, we will leave
the reminiscing about athletic events and turn to the hardening
of these men for war. Drills, hikes, and sports all contributed
to the building strong bodies but did not help too much in thinning
the ranks at the crowded camp. New barracks were under construction,
and a system of heating the new and old buildings was contracted
for. While this was being done, the largest contingent at the
camp were sent into the hills known as Guth Station. Here the
men learned to dig-in just as they would be doing later in France,
and in some cases in Italy. The men devised all manner of living
underground or in cases. Each section vied with the next in experimenting
with roofs, stovepipes and drainage construction. A typical picture
from Guth Station can be compared with an actual picture of a
billeting area of a French Army Division and the United States
Army Ambulance Section attached to that division.

GUTH STATION BARRACKS

POSTE AT FLIREY, FRANCE

THE MUD AT GUTH STATION

The experience at Guth Station was looked upon by some of the
men as a lark, but it was a big headache to others. It did serve
to keep from a large contingent of the USAACs, one of the dark
moments in the life of Camp Crane---the mis-appropriation of some
funds designated for the labor involved in the installation of
the boating equipment back at the Fairgrounds.

While some men endured the mud at Guth Station, another contingent
had set out for Tobyhanna. They were nearly washed into the river
at the Delaware Water Gap shortly after staking out their pup
tents. Local hotels came to their rescue. The elements kept the
score even with the Guth Station mudders by again visiting the
men, marching to Tobyhanna, with a wind and rain storm of cyclonic
proportions, at their bivouac on the outskirts of Stroudsburg.
Some men found solace in the Indian Queen and Y.M.C.A. Trucks
were dispatched the next day, to carry the men the remaining miles
to the questionable shelter of the Tobyhanna barracks. It is said
that the temperature drop, from the floods, on the march into
Stroudsburg and the arrival at Tobyhanna, must have equalled every
known record. In any event, snow and winter gales made sieves
out of the barrack floors and walls, on the top of the Pocono
Mountains.

Before this Contingent had gone off to Tobyhanna, on its roundabout
way to France, a call had been sent out for 300 volunteers to
leave immediately, to fill up to authorized strength the American
Ambulance sections that had been taken over by the United States
Army. Some sections voted to break-up, to take advantage of the
opportunity for an early departure to the front, while others
wanted to stay together as a unit. This accounts for the unusual
amount of transfers from one section to another, especially during
the period when the authorities were making up their minds regarding
the 36 or 45 man units. Those men who left made up the First Contingent
for overseas duty, and their records will develop in subsequent
chapters.

With the coming of the snows, in what was to turn out to be
one of the most severe winters in history, the men at Guth Station
returned to Camp Crane to the shelter of some new windowless barracks.
During this winter, temperatures were bitter, and for those billeted
in old pig stalls, there was not much you could do to keep warm.
The cold and monotony of ramp life combined to spawn the first
of the great Kernell and Fechheimer shows. So here, we will turn
the telling of this delightful tale over to one who was there.

"One bitterly cold day one of the new barracks displayed
a faint wisp of smoke out of a tiny stack up on the roof. A fire!
Heat! says I. In spite of the fact that I had on practically
everything I owned, I was still miserable. (Just like the fellows
that reported from the Indian Queen in Stroudsburg.) So I wandered
into this barracks because it seemed to promise a little warmth.
The building was unoccupied except for a small bundled-up group
of characters over in one corner adjacent to a smoky stove that
did not draw, because of the totally inadequate flue; so the
room had a blue haze and smelled of half burnt wood. At first
I wasn't interested in anything hut the stove, but, after trying
to make myself comfortable on a folding chair, I began to notice
their discussion. No one objected to my, presence, so I drew
nearer and listened in. The subject was ways and means of putting
on a camp entertainment that had been put together by Sergeant
Richard Fechheimer, and some original tunes by Private William
Kernell. Also present were Sgt. Mellon, the Band Director, a
Captain Meyer who was a short, fat, easygoing chap, and a romantic
looking Lieutenant named Wolfe.

"This was about early January 1918. That meeting decided
that a call would be issued for volunteer actors, musicians,
singers and such, with try-outs scheduled for a certain date.
Thus our show "Good Bye Bill" was born.

WILLIAM B. KERNELL

RICHARD FECHHEIMER

MISS AMERICA

"There already was a good, small dance hand in camp at
the time. Paul McCoy, piano; Charlie Hamp, singer and melody
sax; Frank Morin, banjo; Charles Johnson, drums; Charlie Mustarde,
jazz fiddle; Charles Pawlick, lead violin, Sometimes I sat in
with them and played counter melody to Pawlick's upper strings,
and Chuck Barlow joined the group from time to time as well.
This band played a large part, along with the Big Brother Movement,
in breaking down the prejudice the mothers had against the men
at Camp Crane. This little band of musicians played for tea dances
at the Hotel Traylor, and they finally brought along some of
their buddies and the "mammas" found out Crane had
a different breed of cats. And so with a jazz Band all set "Good
Bye Bill" was launched.

"GOOD BYE BILL" TROUPE

"It was originally intended for soldiers' entertainment
in the big hall across from the Grandstand, but as the loads
of talent showed up, the show grew and grew until it demanded
a full stage to put it on. So--- downtown it went. As soon as
it left the boundaries of the camp, the public claimed it. First
Allentown, then Reading, Easton, Lancaster, Philadelphia, Atlantic
City, and last Broadway at 44th Street Roof for 58 performances.
The show broke all records for one week at the Garrick Theatre
in Philadelphia. In New York, George M. Cohan wanted to buy the
show and move it to a larger theatre.

"The story goes--- 'Henry Ford offered millions to anyone
who would capture the Kaiser' --- on this slender thread was
hung two hours and fifteen minutes of the fastest moving, funny,
impossible hilarity one could imagine, interspersed with songs
and production numbers using Kernell's rich, tuneful harmonies.
I was the leading lady, 'Miss America' herself. I was Lt. Allan
Towne's sweetheart, I was Eddie Bonoff's dancing partner. Women
cried when handsome Ray Clark sang 'Just a Little After Taps.'
'Bring Me a Blond' and 'The Ladies of London' were big full-stage
production numbers that brought down the house. Charlie Lawrence
from Harvard, playing Hard Luck Himself, and Geo. Kowalski, from
Brown University, playing the Kaiser, rolled them in the aisles.
As many times as I saw it, I laughed (just as hard the last time
as I did the first) at that precious buffoon Kowalski in the
medal presentation scene. He never did it twice the same, his
timing and instinct for the ridiculous was deadly. He never missed.
Everybody back stage watched to see what the darn fool would
think of next.

"The show was never allowed to jell ... good as it was.
Feature acts, skits, even songs and dance routines would be jerked,
and intensive rehearsals on a replacement or change would take
place. But it turned out so good that it was rumored that the
show netted over $40,000.00 for the Overseas Fund."

Well, if there were constant changes in the show, the audiences
never knew it. This is attested to by the newspaper accounts of
March 9, 1918. Bold headlines say, "Good Bye Bill makes hit.
Every song encored. Soldiers play the parts of women in great
style," and then the story goes on to say if the same spirit,
ingenuity and volume of enthusiasm could be concentrated into
one big effort "To Get" Kaiser Bill, as was portrayed
by the Camp Crane company in presenting "Good Bye Bill"
in the Rajah Theatre at Reading last night, the war would be over
in a short time. From curtain to curtain, the Ambulance players
covered themselves with glory. Encores to the song numbers stopped
the performance several times, and in the finale of the second
act when "Good Bye Bill" was sung by the departing,
cheering Usaacs, the entire house cheered the Rajah to the echo.

Lieutenant Linscott and Corporal Clark charmed with their duet,
"Till I Come Home to You," and Clark's "From Reveille
to Taps" was received with enthusiasm. Richard Fechheimer,
C. R. Middleton and Edward Bonoff, as recruiting sergeants and
flivver pilots, had the audience in a good mood. (Perhaps it was
because they had never seen such a brand of acting before.)

"Bring Me to Life, Mr. Ambulance Man, with a Jazz Band"
rendered by Ed. Bonoff, registered a big hit, and his dancing
was a real feature,

Charlie Hamp, the master jazz artist of the Allied Armies and
his fellow jazzers were superb. "I Didn't Hesitate 'Cause
I Knew I Was Lost" by Hamp was a wonder. (When this was written
little did they know that in later years Charlie Hamp really was
to become "Mr. Jazz U.S.A.") Keck and Clark in their
feminine roles were exceptional, and the singing of Clark could
be easily imagined to issue from the throat of some silvery voiced
soubrette.

George Washington Kowalski, as the Kaiser, was one of the big
hits of the show. Credit is due the entire cast, chorus, orchestra
and directors. The orchestra under the direction of Private Mellon
played exquisitely. Lieutenant Adolph Menjou, former leading man
with Marguerite Clark, and Lieutenant Edwin Wolfe, formerly with
David Belasco, directed the cast and general production. Private
King directed the dancing choruses . . . And so went the press
notices up and down the line.

And here again, your chronicler must bring all of us back to
the realization that Camp Crane was a training camp in time of
war. As things turned out it was more than just a training camp,
because as the ambulance drivers and mechanics were sent overseas,
the War Department continued to use this installation as a replacement
command and as a pre-embarkation camp. During the period when
Colonel Howard M. Snyder was Commandant, Camp Crane became the
temporary headquarters for some of the biggest surgeons of the
war. Base Hospital Units were mobilized here, or stopped-over
to complement their units to standard army requirements. Many
casuals from the ranks of the Ambulance Service joined Base Hospitals
in Allentown or were transferred to these units after they arrived
in France. The record shows other medical units were formed here.
It is interesting to note that even in the early days of the Fairgrounds
there was assembled there, Base Hospital Unit #3 The story told
by Arthur O. Weinert may be news to many USAACs. "On June
6, 1917 a Red Cross unit was organized at the Episcopal Hospital,
2nd and Lehigh Streets in Philadelphia, and after being sworn
in, were sent to the Allentown Fairgrounds around the end of June.
Along with the USAACs present at that time, we were given cots
and slept in the cleared out section of the Grandstand. Later
we moved into one of the fixed up buildings used as barracks,
where we were joined by a Base Hospital unit from Ohio. Our outfit
consisted of 150 enlisted personnel, 26 officers, all medical
men. We left the "Fairgrounds," (as we called our camp
at that time as it had not yet been named Camp Crane) under the
command of Colonel Devoe, who was assigned to us from the regular
Army Medical Department, late in October, stopping off at Camp
Mills, Long Island and embarked on the famous ship "Leviathan"
at Hoboken, N.J. We went first to Liverpool, England, then crossed
from Southampton to Le Havre, France . ... . The unit was finally
installed in an old monastery at Nantes, France, operating as
Base Hospital #34." It is true that some Base Hospitals used
Camp Crane for staging purposes, but we certainly cannot remember
any beautiful nurses hanging around the Fairgrounds. Other Base
Hospital units to which USAAS men became attached include the
following numbers: These are all that have been brought to our
attention: BH #27, BH #38, BH #40, BH #67, BH #68, Evac. Hosp.
#4. There were, of course, many other Base Hospitals in the theatre
of war.

In the closing months of 1918 and early 1919, the camp became
the battleground against the influenza epidemic. Colonel Snyder
was asked by the War Department, by the Governor of Pennsylvania,
and the Public Health Departments of many communities in that
area, to help in combating the dread disease. Emergency headquarters
were set up at the camp and teams of doctors and men were sent
out as far as Shamokin, Wilkes-Barre, Pottsville, Reading and
even to the shipbuilding sections near Philadelphia. It should
be pointed out here, that the reputation which Camp Crane enjoyed
throughout the length and breadth of the land, for excellence
in its health record, was due entirely to the efficient and experienced
work of Colonel Richard Slee, the original Sanitary Officer. Even
during this period of the flu epidemic, he morbidity and mortality
records at the camp were astonishingly low.

Three main contingents of ambulance men had gone forth to France
and Italy, with smaller units leaving when shipping space was
available. With these men went most of the original top officers.
When Col. Persons slipped out ahead of his Italian Contingent
he had recommended to the War Department Lt. Colonel Richard Slee
to succeed him as commanding officer at Camp Crane. In his report,
Col. Slee recalls his call back into the military service by a
telephone message from Colonel Persons, who was then in Philadelphia
at the USAAÇ headquarters. Major Slee (at that time) was
to report as early as possible to the Allentown Fairgrounds with
complete personal equipment, as it was expected the service would
be "sent overseas in a matter of weeks." It is well
we leave this chapter with a few quotations from a letter sent
to Lt. Colonel Slee by the Mayor of Allentown, A. L. Reichenbach.

August 24, 1918

Dear Sir:

Did you imagine when we planned the affair at West Park for
the Community and soldiers, that it would assume the magnitude
and give the pleasure it did? I surely did'nt.

Senator Towne and Mlle. Treville, our distinguished guests,
were amazed with its magnificence. . . It has been my privilege
upon hundreds of occasions since the institution of Camp Crane,
to speak and write about the wonderful reputation for good order
in our community, with its approximately 4000 to 5000 soldiers.

If the Government wants to see a model camp in the discipline
and behavior of its men . . . it must come to Allentown . . .
. I congratulate our people upon the commanders who have been
at Camp Crane, especially the men in supreme charge of the ambulance
men, Colonel Persons and yourself.

"Don't pass harshly upon this long letter. It is the
opening of the heart of a Mayor who has been charged with grave
responsibilities and who is grateful for the cooperation of the
officers and men under them."

With the main contingents of ambulance men already overseas,
it is a surprise to most of these men to read in the Official
Medical Department's History of Camp Crane, that in addition to
the Ambulance Sections and Casuals, the following units left the
Allentown camp for overseas duty:

1917

July---

3 Base Hospitals

November---

1 Gas Defense Service unit

1918

April ---

Replacement Hospital Unit A
1 Mobile Optical Unit

May ---2

Evacuation Hospital units
1 Base Hospital

July 4 ---

Base Hospitals

Aug. ---

X-ray Unit No. 1; 1 Base Hospital

October 31---

Replacement Ambul. Units

October 6 ---

Sanitary Squads

November ---

6 Mobile Hospital Units

November 4---

Mobile Surgical Units

Passed through Camp Crane: June 1, 1917 through April 10, 1919:

Officers

2085

Enlisted Men

18,225

Total

20,310

This total is hard to believe, but who is now available to
question or substantiate these statements.

The men remaining at Camp Crane were constantly called on for
parades, and therefore a new band was formed following the departure
of the Italian Contingent. It was directed by Sergeant Theodore
Otto and Charles Lawrence was the Drum Major. This new band was
in existence until the middle of December 1918, when the beginning
of the end of Camp Crane was apparent. The camp was officially
closed on April 10, 1919. The Government sold the new barracks
and other equipment, before turning the Fairgrounds back to the
Lehigh County Agricultural Society.